Channeling-machine.



F. E. BERTRAND.

CHANNELING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION PIL D JUNE 24, 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

Patented June 25, 1912.

jizveitzfon- COLUMUIA PLANOGRAIH (mJVASIfl-NGTON, n. c,

Pi E. BERTRAND. GHANNELING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 111111124, 1911.

1,030,708. Patented June 25, 1912.

q 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPH 120., wA smNn'roN. D. c.

FREDERIC E. IBERIRAND, OF SWAM PSCOT'I, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 'IO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CHANNELING-IVIACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnnonnro ELI BER- TRAND, citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Chan neling-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to machines used in the manufacture of boots and shoes for forming a channel or feather, or both, in the marginal portion of an insole, such machines being known generally as channeling machines, and more particularly to that type of channeling machine for operating upon welt insoles disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States granted to United Shoe Machinery Company on the application of the present inventor, No. 1,028,801 dated April 23,1912. In this class of machines, the insole is fed through the machine automatically, but it is swung about the edge gage by the operative to maintain the cutting knives in proper relationship to the sole edge as the point of operation of the knives is transferred around the insole.

The stock for welt insoles is often soft and pliable, and, owing to these characteristics, it has been found, in channeling the sole, that the pressure of the edge of the sole against the edge gage by the operative during the feed causes the marginal portion to become curled up as the sole drags pastthe edge gage. This curling tendency of the sole edge is increased when the pronounced curvatures of the insole are swung about the edge gage to bring the edge of the sole in the line of the feed. The curling of a the edge seriously affects the operation of thechannel and edge knives on the insole. When the channel knife operates upon a sole having its marginal portion curled up, it tends to dig into the sole and thus destroys the uniformity in the depth of the channel which is necessary for a successful inseam sewing operation. The effect on the edge knife, caused by the curled-up marginal portion of the sole, is even more serious as the base of the lip formed by the edge knife is cut sothin that the remaining stock is insufficient to resist the thrust of the tool in the lip turning machine with the result that the lip is often torn ofi and the insole ruined.

In the machine referred to, the presser gages which feed the sole and press the sole down for the cut of the knives are arranged to operate upon the flesh side of the insole. The rough portions of the flesh upon this side of the insole sometimes pack beneath the edge knife presser gage as the latter slides over the sole during the cutting stroke of the edge knife and causes the gage to rise. As the edge knife is carried 011 the same slide as the edge knife presser gage, an upward movement of the gage results in a corresponding movement of the knife and a decrease in the thickness of the feather flap. A decrease in the predetermined thickness of the feather flap reduces the body of the stock provided to receive the stitches of the inseam sewing machine resulting, if the body of stock becomes insuflicient, in the stitches tearing through the stock, and the production, therefore, of imperfect work.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an insole channeling machine in which the curling-up of the marginal portion of the insole is prevented and the insole uniformly presented for the cut of the lip forming knife or knives in such manner that the channel or feather edge, or both, may be accurately produced.

In accordance with this object one feature of the invention contemplates the provision, in a channeling machine provided with a lip forming knife and a presser gage for said knife, of a separate foot arranged to hold down the marginal portion of the insole and prevent its curling-up. In the preferred form of the invention, such a foot is provided adjacent, and in advance of, the presser gage for the edge slitting knife, as this arrangement places it in position to bear upon the marginal portion of the sole and hold it down upon the work table. The provision of a hold-down foot acting 011 the marginal portion of the sole as described, by holding the marginal portion of the sole flat, also prevents digging-in of the channel knife when the machine is provided with bot-h edge and channel knives to produce a regular welt insole. The specific manner in which the foot is mounted and arranged so that it may prevent the curling-up of the insole is not essential and may be varied as found desirable or expedient. It is desirable, however, to so mount the foot that it forms practically a continuation of the edge knife presser gage and at the same time is vertically movable independently thereof. This manner of supporting the foot forms a further feature of the invention.

Broadly considered the invention contemplates the use of any suitable form of holddown foot, but in order that the rough and spongy portions of the fiesh side of the insole, upon which the machine operates, may be prevented from packing beneath the edge knife presser gage, the hold-clown foot is preferably rounded on the bot-tom to act as a smoothing iron for evening down such portions.

These and other features of the invention, including certain details of construct-ion and combinations of parts, will be further explained in the following description and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The various features of the present invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, showing the best form of the invention at present known to the inventor, in which Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the machine head, including a portion of the base upon which the head is mounted; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the front of the head showing in detail the cutters, presser gages, ironing foot, edge gage, and their holders, the work retaining foot being removed; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation in detail on the line 33, Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is a sectional plan view; Fig. 5 is a plan, partly in sect-ion, showing the relative location of the cutters, presser gages, work retaining foot, ironing foot, and edge gage, the toe portion of an insole being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 6 is a sectional detail on the line 66 Fig. 5, showing the edge knife presser gage and ironing foot; and Fig. 7 is a View, similar to Fig. 14 of the patent referred to, but illustrating the effect on both the edge and channel cuts when the marginal portion of the sole is permitted to curl up.

The construction and mode of operation of the machine shown in the drawings, except for the additional features embodied in the present invention, are substantially identical with the construction and mode of operation of the machine disclosed in the above mentioned patent. This type of machine for operating upon welt insoles is provided wit-h channel and edge knives carried by a carrier mounted for movement forwardly and backwardly over a work sup port, presser gages associated with the chan nel and edge knives, an edge gage movable both across and in the direction of feed, and a yieldingly mounted work retainer provided with a foot which has a serrated under surface for firmly engaging the surface of the work. The sole is fed on the forward movement of the knife carried by the presser gages, the knives at this time riding .over the surface of the sole and when the limit of the stroke of the carrier is reached the work retaining foo-t 1s moved down into contact with the sole to hold it rigidly from movement.

in place and close beside the channel knife by a cap plate 6 and a collar screw 7 and is adjustable vertically in the guideway by means of a thumb screw 8 mounted in the usual manner.

The edge knife 9 is adjustably secured to a carrier 10 sustained in a guideway 11 in 1 the lower end of a slide 12. adjustable vertically inthe guideway by means of a thumb screw 13. The edge knife slide also has projecting from its lower end a bracketl i provided with a vertical guide way in which is suitably mounted the edge presser gage 15. This gage is held in any position of vertical adjustment by means of a set screw 15*.

It is often desirable to adjust the channel knife to narrow the between substance and, with the machine constructed as in the patent hereinbefore referred to, in this adjust- The carrier is V ment the channel knife is often advanced to V such a position relative to the channel knife presser gage that it projects a substantial distance beyond the inner edge of the gage. hen the parts are in this relative position, the channel knife gage is not in a position to properly hold down the sole as the turns are made, particularly at the toe, and the channel knife, for this reason has a tendency to travel 03 at a tangent to the proper line of cut, or as it is sometimes termed to snake out of the sole. This condition may be remedied by providing means to hold down the sole in advance of the channel knife no matter what its posit-ion of adjustment may be. T 0 this end the edge knife presser gage 15 is formed as usual with a vertical wall 16 bearing on the sole closely adjacent the forward or cutting edge of the edge knife, but in the present construct-ion this wall extends toward and to the channel gage 5 and terminates in a foot 17 extending over upon the between substance as shown in Fig. 5.

The knife slides 4 and 12 are held within a carrier 18 by means of a cover plate 19. The machine of the drawings is provided with the rounded end edge gage 20 which projects over the work table 21, and is mounted on two slides 22 and 23 arranged at right angles to each other so that the gage may move in and out transversely of the line of feed and at the same time move with the knife. These parts are the same as in the said. United States patent.

The work retainer 24. is mounted for ad justment on the lower end of a rod carried by two bearings 26 on. a vertically reciprocating slide 27. The rod is provided with lock nuts 28 supporting a coiled takeup spring 29 which surrounds the rod and bears at its upper end against the lower surface of the upper bearing 26. The upper end of the rod is provided with lock nuts 30. The work retainer is provided with a main bearing foot 31 extending wholly across the operative portions of the cutting edges of the channel and edge knives to effectively bear upon and rigidly hold the sole from movement at the particular point where the cuts are to be made. In order to effectively hold the sole from movement as the knife cuts are formed around the toe, the work retaining foot 31 is provided with an auxiliary bearing portion 32 which rigidly holds the sole for the cut of the knives when the main bearing portion of the foot rides olf the toe, as shown in Fig. 5.

\Vhen the character of the stock used for welt insoles is soft and flexible, in the operation of the machines of the type described, there is a constant tendency for the marginal portion of the sole to curl up as the edge of the sole drags past the rounded end of the edge gage. This curling-up of the sole is particularly aggravated when the edge of the sole is pressed laterally against the gage as the operative swings the sole to bring the various curvatures of its periphery in the line of feed. In order to prevent the curling-up of the sole and thus insure the proper presentation of the upper surface of the marginal portion of the insole to the channel and edge knives, the machine of the present invention is provided with a foot arranged to apply pressure on the marginal portion of the sole at the point where the greatest tendency of the sole to curl up occurs, namely, at the point where the sole edge drags past the rounded end of the edge gage. Such a hold-down foot is shown at 33 and forms practically a continuation of the edge knife presser gage 15. It is arranged in the angle between the vertical wall 16 and the between substance foot 17 to engage the marginal portion of the insole at the point wherethe insole drags past the rounded end of the edge gage 20, as shown in Fig. 5. The foot 33 is mounted upon an independent vertically movable slide 34;

guided between ways in a plate 35 secured to the lower portion of the carrier cover plate 19. The slide 34: is provided with a lug 36 carrying a pin 37, and the cover plate 19 is provided with a lug 38 in which is threaded a collar screw 39. Suitably secured to the collar screw 39 is a spring 4-0 which bears over the pin 37 on the lug 36, and thus acts to force the foot down 011 the sole. The pressure of the foot upon the work may be varied by raising or lowering the collar screw 39 in the lug 38, the adjustment being retained by a lock nut ell. In order to limit the movement of the foot under the influence of the spring, the guideway plate 35 is provided with a split lug $2 in which is mounted a thumb screw l3 arranged beneath the lug 36. The lowest position of the hold-down foot 33 maybe varied by raising or lowering the thumb screw 4.3 in the split lug 42, and the desired adjustment is retained by a collar screw 44: threaded through the halves of the split lug and serving to clamp the split lug on the shank of the thumb screw.

The edge knife presser gage, as shown in Fig. 6, is beveled off toward its rear edge for riding over the work as the cut is being formed. This gage moves over the marginal portion of the flesh side of the insole and this side of the insole, as is well known to those skilled in the art, is usually rough or spongy. The loose spongy material on the sole surface sometimes packs beneath the beveled edge of the presser gage and by lifting the gage causes it to lift the knife. This causes variations in the thickness of the feather edge flap. In order to provide a smooth surface for the edge knife presser gage to ride over as the feather edge is being formed and thus avoid lifting the edge knife, the bottom or sole engaging portion of the hold-down foot 33 is formed to act as a smoothing iron to even down the marginal portion of the insole in advance of the operation of the knife. In order that the footmay even down the sole surface as the insole is swung to the right and left to bring the reversely curved portions of the edge of the sole in the line of feed, the bottom of the foot is rounded at both its forward and rear sides, as shown in Fig. 6.

For convenience the foot 33 may be called an ironing foot as by its action it smooths and evens the spongy flesh side of the sole, thus providing an even surface for the presser gage to ride over.

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement of the parts shown and described, since this construction and arrangement is the simplest and most efficient embodiment of the invention which has yet been devised, it will be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential except so far as it is specified in the claims, and may be varied or modified without departing from thebroader features of the invention.

WVhat is claimed as new, is

1 A channeling machine, having, in combination, a lip forming knife, a presser gage therefor and a hold down foot continuously engaged with the sole arranged to apply pressure on the marginal portion of the sole, substantially as described.

2. A channeling machine, having, in combination, a lip forming knife, a presser gage therefor, an edge gage, and means continuously engaged with the sole for applying pressure on the marginal portion of the sole at the point where the edge of the sole drags past the edge gage to prevent curling up of the edge of the sole, substantially as described.

3. A channeling machine, having, in combination, an edge knife, an edge knife presser gage and a smoothing tool for even ing the sole surface at its margin to maintain the feather flap of even thickness, substantially as described.

4. A machine for operating upon welt insoles, having, in combination, a channel knife, a channel: knife presser gage, an edge knife, an edge knife presser gage, a workretaining foot, an edge gage, and an ironing foot, substantially as described.

5. A machine. for operating upon welt insoles, having, in combination, a lip forming knife, acpire sser gage therefor and an ironing footirounded on both sides of its bottom to provide for evening the sole as the sole is swung, to :the right 'oi 'l'eft to bring the re versely. curved portions of the edge of the solevin the line ofifeed, substantially as described. j J.

6. A channeling machine, having, in combination, an edge knife, an edge knife presser gage, an. independently mounted ironing foot, and means for yieldingly pressing the footdown upon the sole, substantially as described.

7. A channeling. machine, having, in combination, a lip formingknife, a presser gage therefor, means for reciprocating said knife and presser and an ironing foot mounted to move back and forth over the work with the knife and presser and to move vertically independently of the knife and presser, substantially as described.

8. A channeling machine, having,.in com- 'bination, an edge knife and a two-part edge knife presser gage, one part arranged to move vertically with the edge knife and the other part mounted for independent vertical movement, substantially as described.

9. A machine for operating upon welt insoles, having, in combination, a channel knife, an edge knife, a channel knife presser gage, an edge knife presser gage, said gages being arranged abreast to form a solid wall extending wholly across the operative portions of the knives, and a work retainer provided with a foot arranged in front of the gages across the operative portions of the knives and with an'auxiliary foot arranged to extend in the direction of the feed of the insole, substantially as described.

10. A machine for operating upon welt insoles, having, in combination, a channel knife, a channel knife presser gage, an edge knife, an edge knife presser gage formed with a wall extending close beside the edge knife extending toward the channel gage and terminating in a foot bearing upon the between substance, and an ironing foot bearing upon the marginal portion of the sole arranged in the angle between the wall and between substance foot, substantially as described.

ll. A machine for operating upon welt insoles, having, in combination, a channel knife presser gage, a channel knife adjustable so as to be advanced beyond the channel knife presser gage to narrow the between substance, an edge knife, and an edge knife presser gage directly in advance of the cutting edge of the edge'knife, acting to hold down the sole for the cut of the edge knife and also extended over the between substance to hold down the sole for the cut of the channel knife when the latter comes beyond the channel knife presser gage, substantially as described.

12. A channeling machine, having, in combination, an edge knife, and an edge knife presser gage arranged directly in ad vance of the cutting edge of the edge knife and provided with a portion extended over on the between substance, substantially as described.

JOSIAH E. REID, JOHN H. RIGBY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

